Essex Removal Company, A J Stephenson Removals


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My Company A J Stephenson Removals, are founding members of the National Guild of Removers and Storers, and are Ombudsman approved. With over 30 years experience in Removals and Storage I am happy to offer help and advice regarding any aspect of moving you may have. I have written a unique report on removals titled "The Top Ten Removals and Storage Disasters to Avoid"! which is Free and available from my website, or by following this link. I have reciently been awarded the `ACE` Award (Annual Certificate of Excellence) from the Guild, for our consistant customer satisfaction record.







I will post regular blogs regarding different aspects of moving, please follow me and you will recieve these updates as they are posted.





Please look at my website for help & advice and much more.





I Hope you enjoy my posts!





Thanks for your Interest. Alan Stephenson



Monday 8 November 2010

Surviving Removal Day!

Removal day has the potential to be one of the worst days of your life. When in reality it should be one of the happiest. There a a few things you can do to shift the balance in favour of happy and I will try to outline a few of them here.
Whether you are moving yourself or paying for the full service there are obstacles in front of you that you may not be aware of.

Scenario 1.   You are moving yourself.    Make sure you plan well in advance, especially if you are buying and selling. (there`s usually less stress if your moving from or to a rented property as you can usually work in an overlap which will give you the time to spread the move.) In completion day moves you will have time constraints and you are exposed to the biggest stress of all- holding up the chain. This can involve alot of bad feeling and also expense. See an example of what can happen here.Make sure you have prepared yourself and completed the packing and dismantling the day before, maybe even sleep on the mattress to save time with dismantling the bed. Hire the van the day before (you can usually pick it up late without additional charges) this will give you a massive head start as leaving it until moving day will dramatically reduce the loading time. You can even start loading the evening before and certainly first thing on moving day. Know what van you are going to need. Very important indeed. You could be paying for a bigger van than you really need or getting one that's far too small. There are many space calculators on Removal web sites and I would suggest you use one of these to help you decide.
As a rough guide a panel van will hold 200-400 cubic feet  a luton van will hold 400-600 cubic feet and a 7.5 ton lorry will hold 800-1200 cubic feet. My space calculator can be found here it will be helpful but you must build in an error margin and always go for slightly larger vehicle than you think.
Make sure you have plenty of old cardboard and blankets to protect items and make sure you have enough help at hand. You can buy specialist covers from most removers and some packaging companies, you may be able to hire blankets and trolleys as well.
There are many other considerations, and I will be happy to advise you if you want some help, I can even sell you those covers, packing materials and hire you a few blankets etc.

Scenario 2.  You book a removal company.  You have increased your chances of a happy experience especially if you have booked a packing service as well.
Most removers will take care of all the last minute packing and dismantling but you will need to get this in writing. If you are packing yourself you will be expected to pack the last bits, but you will usually have plenty of time while loading takes place.  As with any service if you don't have a good recommendation or you totally trust the remover you will definitely increase your protection and happiness if you book a remover who is a member of the 2 dedicated removal trade associations in the UK- The National Guild of Removers and Storers(NGRS) and the British Association of Removers (BAR) also look out for Ombudsman Protection as this will provide the ultimate protection.
It may sound odd but paying in advance will increase your protection, as its harder to be let down at the last minute if you have a credit card slip a receipt and a confirmation letter. In a competitive market it is possible that an unregulated remover or man and van type service may take a higher paid job at the last minute and literally drop the cheap move (you) at short notice possibly even on the morning of your move. Now there`s a recipe for one of the worst days of your life!

Other tips for moving day bliss are- keep young children and animals away, they will be unhappy about the whole experience and will almost certainly be in the way and in danger.  Read all your meters the day before as this is often forgotten in the rush. Ask the removers to clear a room at a time so you can clean behind them. Call your solicitor before 12 noon as they or another solicitor in the chain is likely to be on an extended lunch break after that. Say you are loaded and you want an update on the cocompletion. Its true to say that the one that make the most noise gets dealt with first, don't be pushy but just ask nicely if you can get the keys yet as you are ready. (This could save you waiting time charges if the delay is extended.)
Removers have large vehicles! so think about the parking for the morning, possibly park cars outside to reserve spaces for the truck. Inform your neighbours as they may be inconvenienced.  Make up a last minute box with all those last minute items you will need such as medicines, keys,phone chargers kettle etc! and don't let the removers get hold of it!

There are alot of common sense things you can do, and I have only scratched the surface but you can always ask me any specific questions you may have, or you could read my detailed report "The Top Ten Removal and storage Disasters to Avoid"  which is available from my website  . You will need to provide your email and name, the report will be sent to you over 10 days.

Thanks for reading and good luck with your move!

Alan Stephenson